Game result and context
Tampa Bay Rays beat Athletics 2-1 on Junior Caminero's ninth-inning homer as division-clinched Rays reach 91 wins
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Athletics 2-1 on Sept. 15, 2026, at Tropicana Field. Junior Caminero hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie. The Rays, who have clinched their division, improved to 91-59. The Athletics, already eliminated, fell to 61-90.
Final result
Junior Caminero ended it with one swing. His solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 walk-off win over the Athletics on Sept. 15 at Tropicana Field.
The win moved Tampa Bay to 91-59. The Athletics dropped to 61-90. The announced attendance was 16,102.
How the game changed
Tampa Bay scored first with a run in the second inning. The 1-0 lead held until the sixth, when the Athletics pushed across their only run to tie it.
The game then stayed level through the seventh and eighth innings. Caminero led the way in the bottom of the ninth with the game's only home run, and the Rays won it in nine innings.
Key performances
Athletics starter Jack Perkins worked 6.2 innings, striking out 8 and allowing no earned runs. Rays starter Griffin Jax matched him for much of the night, going 5.0 innings with 7 strikeouts and no earned runs.
Kevin Kelly pitched 1.0 scoreless inning for Tampa Bay and struck out 3. Chandler Simpson collected three hits in three at-bats and scored a run. Caminero finished with one hit in four at-bats, a run and an RBI. For the Athletics, Henry Bolte had one hit in four at-bats and scored their lone run.
Season and playoff context
Tampa Bay sits first in its division and has clinched. The Rays are 91-59 with a .607 winning percentage.
The Athletics are fourth in their division, 15.0 games back, and 11th in the wild-card race, 15.5 games back. They have been eliminated from both the division and the wild-card race.
Series context
This regular-season game was the first of a three-game series. Neither team had a series win entering the night, and Tampa Bay now leads the set after the opener.